American Beauty (Universal)

Kevin Spacey is perfect as the father of a totally dysfunctional family in middle-class suburbia. Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, and Chris Cooper are also wonderful in this black comedy. Outwardly funny and upbeat, this film conceals at its core a very dark, twisted story.

Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Home Entertainment)

The Little Mermaid may have resurrected Disney’s cel animation business, but it was Beauty and the Beast that solidified the status of its animation division. In addition to the original theatrical version, the DVD includes the Special Edition, which includes an additional musical number, as well as the interesting work-in-progress version shown at the New York Film Festival, with unfinished animation and storyboards inserted in the film.

The Best of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (Lions Gate Home Entertainment)

This is not a movie but a collection of clips from Late Night with Conan O’Brien. As the rest of his name implies, Triumph is a ridiculous rubber puppet dog who is rude, profane, incredibly insulting, and stretches the boundaries of what is acceptable on network television. His crude, bizarre antics sometimes make me squirm, but he is genuinely funny and one of the most original characters on television.

Bowling for Columbine (MGM Home Entertainment)

This film seems to have less of an agenda than Michael Moore’s more recent and sometimes overbearing Fahrenheit 9/11, but it is still not what I would consider to be a documentary. It is a flawed but nonetheless entertaining and thought-provoking film. Moore sometimes goes too far with his guerrilla filmmaking methods, but it makes for interesting cinema.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

This film isn’t about martial arts -- or even honor, as you might suspect -- but about relationships. The unspoken love between the main characters (Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat), and the relationships between the villain and the young heroine (Zhang Ziyi), among others, all lead to tragic and poignant conclusions. And yes, the fight sequences are amazing.

The Killer (The Criterion Collection)

John Woo’s The Killer is dramatic, over-the-top Hong Kong moviemaking. Some may argue that Woo’s grittier Hard Boiled or the more lyrical A Better Tomorrow are better films. I tend to agree, but I love The Killer’s outrageous gunplay and Chow Yun Fat’s idealistic character. Many editions of this film are available on DVD. Criterion’s Region 1 disc, long out of print, sells for about $200 on eBay but remains the preferred edition for its slightly superior video quality. Still, all of the DVDs I have seen of this film, including the Criterion, have only mediocre picture quality and mono sound.

Pulp Fiction (Miramax Home Entertainment)

This is still the movie by which all movies of its genre are compared. Quentin Tarantino perfected the fast-talking, character-based action movie with Pulp Fiction. Marc Mickelson may prefer Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, but I still chuckle at Pulp Fiction’s many outrageous scenes and perceptive and humorous dialogue.

The Sweet Hereafter (New Line Home Video)

Atom Egoyan’s slow-moving drama isn’t merely about a dysfunctional family. It is about an entire dysfunctional town, in rural Canada. Many of its disturbing scenes remain in my mind long after I watch this movie. Mychael Danna’s music score is haunting, and the DVD has one of the most insightful audio commentary tracks I’ve heard.

The Station Agent (Buena Vista Home Entertainment)

Peter Dinklage should have been nominated for an Academy Award for his perfectly nuanced performance as an emotionally repressed dwarf in The Station Agent, in which he’s supported by the equally amazing performances of Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannavale. The film moves slowly at times, but it is an incredibly insightful character study that is sometimes sad, but also very funny and touching.

Thelma and Louise (MGM Home Entertainment)

I’ve mentioned this one before. It’s my favorite Ridley Scott film, and one of my favorite movies of all time. The unstoppable spiral of events that befall Thelma and Louise is gripping to watch. Even with Louise’s understanding, going-nowhere musician boyfriend and the chief police investigator on their side, the women’s fate is sealed from the moment they leave on their ill-fated trip. This Special Edition was rereleased on the film’s tenth anniversary with new commentary tracks and interviews featuring director Ridley Scott, screenwriter Callie Khouri, and actors Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, and Brad Pitt.